As far as Gallup's surveys go, public support for pot
legalization hit a previous record high of 50 percent in 2011.
Last year, 48 percent of Americans told the polling organization
that they supported legalization.

Pot politics

Self-described Independents have driven the most recent changes
in public opinion, with 62 percent now in favor of pot
legalization, up from 50 percent in November last year. Democrats
and Republicans remain divided on the issue; 65 percent of
Democrats favor making marijuana legal, while just 35 percent of
Republicans said the same.

Younger Americans, ages 18 to 29, are more likely to support
legalizing pot than any other age group, with 67 percent in
favor. Americans 65 and older are the only age group with a
majority (53 percent) opposing pot legalization.

Marijuana
is currently legal for medical use in more than 15 U.S. states,
including California, Arizona and Maine. Most patients need to
obtain a prescription for the drug from their doctors and buy the
drug from dispensaries.

Recreational marijuana sales, meanwhile, are set to begin in
Colorado and Washington as early as January 2014 after both
states passed ballot initiatives in 2012 to legalize weed.
Earlier this year, the Department of Justice announced it would
not challenge those laws, as long as the states follow strict
sale and distribution rules.

The acceptance of marijuana use over the past four decades
could be attributed to changing social mores, Gallup researchers
said.

"The increasing prevalence of medical
marijuana as a socially acceptable way to alleviate
symptoms of diseases such as arthritis, and as a way to mitigate
side effects of chemotherapy, may have also contributed to
Americans' growing support," Gallup officials wrote, adding that
the changing tide in public opinion on pot will likely spur
further legalization measures.

The latest survey was conducted from Oct. 3 to 6, 2013, using
phone interviews with a random sample of 1,028 adults, ages 18
and older, Gallup said.